GRAPHENE

(2004 PRESENT)
WORLDS NEW WONDER MATERIAL

WHAT IS THIS THING?

The basic structural element for other allotropes of carbon.
It is an atom thick layer of a honeycomb lattice made up of carbon
atoms.
It is a collection of many benzene rings connected to each other
Originally the term was coined in 1962 by Hanns-Peter Boehm. He
used this term to describe single layer carbon foils.

Andre Geim, Konstantin Novoselov and Duct

Tape

HOW WAS IT DISCOVERED?

Many people have stipulated the existence of graphene since mid

1800s, but no one knew how to isolate it.
The theory of graphene was first explored in 1947 by P. R. Wallace.
Graphene remained a fancy theory till 2004, when finally it was
isolated and its existence could be confirmed.

But who discovered it???

UNIQUE PROPERTIES
Worlds first 2D material
It is one of the lightest material in the world.
The strongest material available in the world
The thinnest material in the world
The worlds most conductive material
It is transparent, flexible as well as stretchable.
It is a perfect barrier, i.e. it is impermeable
Most reactive form of Carbon
Formation of dirac cones.
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SIGNIFICANCE
Graphene is a material which with its discovery created an entirely
new field of research. Because of its such unique properties
graphene is quoted as a material that could open up new markets
and even replace existing technologies or materials.
Some of the areas where maximum research is being carried out for
graphene are: Membranes
Composites and Coatings
Energy
Biomedical
Sensors
Electronics

MEMBRANES
The impermeable property of graphene has opened up a great
scope for production of water filtration, gas separation and
desalination projects.

COMPOSITES AND COATINGS

Rust-free future
Weatherproofing
Packaging
For sports
For aircrafts

ENERGY
Imagine fully charging a smartphone in seconds, or an electric car
in minutes. That's the power of graphene.
Batteries with graphene will be able to hold more power, will be
light weight compared to the traditional batteries.
Graphene supercapacitors could provide massive amounts of
power, and still be light weight than the presently used batteries.
These supercapacitors can be used for powering electronics.

BIOMEDICAL
Graphene could soon be used to
analyze DNA at a recordbreaking pace.
Thats the claim of a physicist in
the US who has proposed a new
way of reading the sequence of
chemical bases in a DNA strand
by
sending
the
molecule
through a tiny slit in a graphene
sheet.

OTHER APPLICATIONS

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WHERE IS IT THEN?

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PRESENT STATUS
The global market for graphene is reported to have reached $9
million in 2014.
University of Manchester (Birthplace of Graphene) has launched a
61m National Graphene Institute. They also have a 60m
Graphene Innovation Centre.
The graphene electronics market is expected to reach $1512m in
2020.

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REFERENCES
http://www.graphene.manchester.ac.uk/
http://graphene-flagship.eu/
https://www.youtube.com/
http://news.discovery.com/
https://news.google.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphene

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